Board of Education Adopts Proposed Budget For 2026-2027 School Year

At Tuesday night’s Board of Education Meeting, the EUFSD Board of Education officially adopted the proposed budget for the 2026-2027 school year.

Eastchester’s proposed budget of $116,858,433 represents a budget-to-budget increase of $5,943,935 (5.36%) and a total tax levy increase of 6.31%, meaning that a super-majority of voters will be needed to approve the budget on Tuesday, May 19.

Speaking to the community on Tuesday, EUFSD Superintendent Dr. Alison Villanueva commended the district for making tremendous strides in academics, social-emotional learning, security, and technology infrastructure over the past several years. She also discussed the drivers that have impacted this year’s budget process, including rampant inflation and a million-dollar drop in state aid. Villanueva noted that the main reason the EUFSD will seek to pierce the tax levy cap this year is so that the district can continue to fund the programs and personnel that have been integral to students’ academic success. 

“We have invested so much—you’ve heard it from our administrators, you’ve seen our students speak to it—you can see the programs grow and the seeds that are planted in our enrichment and intervention,” she said. “Now that we’ve planted those seeds, it’s a question of how much we are willing to invest to keep growing them.

“It’s OK to slow down a little bit,” she added. “But we don’t want to false start and stop [programs], and then restart them years later.”

The 6.31% tax levy increase represents a significant reduction from the initial budget that was proposed last month, which would have asked voters to consider a 7.35% increase. Over the last two weeks, Villanueva and district administrators have met with various parent groups in person and via Zoom to discuss the budget and address any questions or concerns that community members may have about piercing the tax cap levy. 

Villanueva said that these meetings have been instructive, noting she will continue to meet with groups over the next month in order to continue to provide more clarity throughout the budget process. She will meet with the EHS PTA on April 30 and speak with PTA groups from Waverly, Greenvale and Anne Hutchinson on May 6, 7 and 18, respectively. On Tuesday, May 5, the EUFSD Board of Education will hold its annual public budget hearing in the EHS Library. 

“Listening to the experiences and getting to know the hopes of community members and varying district stakeholders is essential,” said Villanueva. “Even if school district leaders know what it takes to cultivate excellent schools, another large part of our work is building a strong relationship with the community who in turn supports the work of our schools and believes in the value of having a strong school district.

In the weeks leading up to the budget vote, BOE President Matthew Fanelli urged residents to not lose sight of the things that make Eastchester a vibrant and unique community, with one of the most important being the community’s ability to band together in service of its students.

“Living in Eastchester for more than 15 years now, this community has gone through some really bad things, and we’ve rallied; we’ve gone through some really good things, and we’ve rallied,” said Fanelli. “This is a rallying moment. I view our community as a team, and when a team comes together, anything is possible.” 

“I truly believe we work in service of the community to which we belong. And it is important that we are in tune with what our students need to succeed after they graduate; what our families hope for their children as they attend school K-12; and how our alumni and extended community benefit from a thriving school district after their children have long graduated,” added Villanueva. “Finding that rhythm is something to strive for, because the power of collective action in high-performing communities like Eastchester is what determines student success”.

For more information about the 2026-2027 School Budget, including access to the line-by-line budget book, please check out this helpful link.